A dad-of-five who has battled to get his autistic sons the help they desperately need told how he had been pushed to drinking and even to try and end his own life.

Martin Kilgallon, 43, who has five children has one son who suffers from brittle asthma and two with severe autism, gave a passionate speech at the launch of the Labour Party manifesto.

"Dealing with a disability or special needs is hard enough and doesn't need to be made harder by a reduction in vital services - something has to change," he said.

Mr Kilgallon, who is the managing director of a business, told how he had seen the devastating cuts on the NHS, had battled to get treatment for his sons and had struggled to get the help he needed when he admitted he wasn't coping.

He told the audience: "My eldest son Mason has brittle asthma and has been admitted to hospital 8 times in the last three months. In the past he has suffered from a respiratory arrest.

"Each time we visit hospital we are met with mayhem the A and E departments are understaffed, ambulances are queuing and doctors don't have time to explain what's going on."

A brave and emotional Martin Kilgallon, 43, spells out the difficulties he faced raising his children (Image: Daily Mirror)

Martin faced three year waiting lists for autism diagnoses for his children, found specialist schools full up and respite care centres that were being shut down (Image: Daily Mirror)

The cuts have also hit his family hard when it comes to getting the treatment that his two sons, Tolan and Fredi, whose autism is so severe that they are unable to speak.

He explained: "We knew from an early age that Tolan was different and asked our GP for help. After much to-ing and fro-ing we were finally referred to a paediatrician who added Tolan to an autism diagnosis waiting list. At the time that was three years long.

"We tried again and again to make our case to the local NHS about these waiting times but were always met with the same apologies - there's no money for this.

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"In 2011 Fredi was born and by 2013 he was showing signs of autism. Again, after a battle, we were added to yet another three-year waiting list.

"Thanks to intervention from the late Jo Cox Freddy received his diagnosis in 2016."

But, although Martin and Anne Marie finally got the diagnosis they had fought for, the strain had taken its toll.

The Kilgallon family of Mirfield left to right, Lenny, Tolan, Martin, Anne-Marie, Fredi and Mason, helping bring awarness to Autism. (Image: Huddersfield examiner)

Both had become severely depressed and Martin, who had turned to drink, even tried to take his own life.

"During this time in my life I would work until 7 or 8 at night and on arriving at home the first thing I would do was open a bottle of red wine.

"To a lot of people a bottle of red wine every night isn't a lot but I knew this wasn't for me and I sought help from the local doctor there was no support for this - I wasn't an alcoholic.

"One Sunday night in 2014 things finally got to me and I took a walk on the hard shoulder of the M62.

"I don't know how I managed to get there but the intended outcome was to end my own life. Fortunately I didn't."

Jeremy Corbyn and the shadow cabinet listen to Martin's story, which he told live on national TV before the Labour manifesto launch (Image: Daily Mirror)

"With the help of some private intervention from a gent called Thomas Fitzsimmons I gave up drinking.

"I spoke at great length with my wife and we realised we were both suffering from severe depression."

But Martin and Anne Marie didn't just want to help their own family, so in October 2014 they set up a support group for parents of autistic children which became a charity called The Whole Autism Family.